My Colors. My Mind.

Celebrate the colors of your life and join our innovative multifaceted initiative that includes art therapy classes and a countywide mass media campaign to reduce the stigma of behavioral health conditions.
Our goals are to increase social inclusion, decrease discrimination and increase treatment-seeking among individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges.

Even though one in five Americans will experience behavioral health conditions in a given year, stigma in our society is still common. Stigma of behavioral health disorders involves negative stereotypes, discrimination, prejudice, and poor treatment – which often leads to shame, suffering, self-blame, and poor self esteem – and is a major barrier to access behavioral healthcare for those subject to stigmatization.

Click here for 2024 Creative Art Therapy Class Schedule Spring/Summer

Creative Art Therapy Postcard

Art Classes For Everyone

Art has the power to heal, inspire, provoke, challenge and support mental health.
Creating art enables us to share our culture and our identity. It can help us better understand our emotions – like a mirror, reflecting back what we have created.

The Council on Aging – Southern California in partnership with the OC Health Care Agency is offering a variety of no-cost creative art therapy classes across Orange County. We want to encourage self-expression, self-discovery, and emotional growth in a non-judgmental atmosphere.

Through this creative process, we hope that community members can explore emotions, reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-esteem, and build awareness to reduce stigma surrounding overall mental health.

Creative Art Therapy Class Schedule Spring/Summer 2024

Creative Art Therapy Classes on YouTube

Creative Art Therapy Postcard

Healing With Art

Creative art therapy can be very valuable in treating issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and even some phobias.

It is a great way to express your emotions without words, process complex feelings and find relief.  Benefits include:

  • Reduce Feelings of Isolation

  • Improve Cognitive Functions
  • Reduce Stress
  • Cultivate Emotional Resilience
  • Decrease Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
  • Foster a Stronger Sense of Identity and New Relationships
  • Improve Communication and Concentration Skills

  • Build Self-Esteem and Confidence

  • Encourages the Development of Healthy Coping Strategies

Creative Art Therapy Testimonials

Shin Ok, age 73 – “This art therapy class has been helping me get out of isolation which I have been doing after my husband died. I found a new love for painting. I get to express my emotions without using any words and it has provided me with comfort that I needed.

Catherine, age 79 – “I took this art therapy class as a challenge to myself, never having taken painting or drawing classes. It is such a pleasant escape into focusing into another world and another way of viewing the world in color values, light, and shape.  This has given me something to enjoy within my current limitations of mobility.”

Huy, age 62 – “Art therapy class keeps me motivated by learning to improve my painting skills and I enjoy getting to know and socializing with other class members. I look forward to each class, and I cannot put into words the satisfaction and gratitude I feel when I see the paintings I gifted on the walls at my children and grandchildren’s homes.”

Maria, age 67 – “While I am painting, I forget my struggles and feel more peaceful and a sense of calmness. I enjoy being in this art therapy class because of the positivity it brings into my life through painting and for taking me out of isolation and allowing me to make new friends.”

Public Transit Campaign

The “My Colors. My Mind.” Stigma Reduction Campaign showcases the artwork of local older adults who have participated in our creative art therapy classes. The multicultural campaign is featured on buses and in bus shelters across Orange County. It is designed to shift the broader public, social, and structural perception about behavioral health conditions.
“My Colors. My Mind.” celebrates the unique talent of each artist.  It embraces their vision, their experiences, and their story telling through art. The campaign aspires to remind us to take care of own behavioral health, to normalize behavioral health conversations, and to treat others with respect, dignity, and compassion.
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-pink-flowers-at-bus-stop
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my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-pink-yellow-flowers-at-bus-stop
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my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-heart
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-white-dove
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-house
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-pink-yellow-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-yellow-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-pink-flowers
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my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-flowers-at-bus-stop
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-flowers-at-bus-stop
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-colorful-trees
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-heart
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-white-dove
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-house
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-pink-yellow-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-yellow-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-purple-flowers
my-colors-my-mind-my-life-poster-with-pink-flowers

Tips to Reduce Stigma & Discrimination

Know the Facts*
Talk Openly About It
Challenge Myths & Stereotypes
Examine Your Own Judgment, Behaviors, and Language
Encourage Mental Health Care
Treat Everyone with Dignity, Respect, Compassion, Acceptance, and Inclusiveness

Anaheim

(Bilingual Korean)
Linbrook Court
2240 W. Lincoln Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92081
Acrylic Painting
Every Thursday
10am – 12pm

Anaheim

(Bilingual Korean)
Miracle Terrace
225 S. Western Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92804
Acrylic Painting
1st, 3rd, and 5th Thursday
1pm – 3pm

Anaheim

(English)
Anaheim Public Library
500 W. Broadway
Anaheim, CA 92805
Multi-Media Art
2nd and 4th Tuesday
2pm—3:30pm

Costa Mesa

(Bilingual Vietnamese)
Towers on 19th
678 W. 19th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Circle Painting
2nd Wednesday of each month
10:30am—12pm

Garden Grove

(Bilingual Spanish)
Harbor Grove Senior
Apartments
12777 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Acrylic Painting
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday
11am—1pm

Huntington Beach

(English)
Huntington Beach Senior Center
Huntington Beach, CA 02648
Acrylic Painting
Every Friday
1pm—2:30pm

Mission Viejo

(Bilingual Mandarin)
MorningStar Senior Living
28570 Marguerite Pkwy.
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Acrylic Painting
2nd and 4th Wednesday
2pm—3:30pm

Santa Ana

(Bilingual Mandarin)
(Bilingual Spanish)
Southwest Senior Center
2201 W. McFadden Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Multi-Media Art
Every Tuesday
10am—11:30am

Westminster

(Bilingual Vietnamese)
Clever Care Community Center
9600 Bolsa Ave., Suite D
Westminster, CA 92868
Circle Painting
2nd and 4th Wednesday
2:30pm—4pm

Contact Us

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Funded by the OC Health Care Agency through the Mental Health Services Act.